ELECTORAL LAW

Hokitika Guardian, 4 March 1932, Page 6

ELECTORAL LAW

SUG G ESTLD AMEN DMENT.

I Proposals for the, amendment of the Electoral Act by tile insertion of two i or three provisions of the Australian j Commonwealth electoral law are Liei in'g advanced by the member for ! Motueka, Mr G. C. Black, in a bill 9! 1 which be gave notice in the House, j Subject to a penalty of £SOO, it proposes that all newspaper articles or ; paragraphs containing electoral matj ter, inserted by payment or for which j reward or compensation is made, shall ! be plainly marked as advertisements, j “electoral matter” being defined as ; all matter intended or calculated to ■ affect the result of an election, and any I. • * report of a speech of a ‘candidate inI sorted by payment. It proposes to | make illegal the publication of electorI al advertisement handbills or electoral 1 notices other than those 'announcing ' meetings which do not carry the name j and address of the person authorising 1 their issue; the issue of election handbills or phiamphlets not bearing the name and address of the printer; the printing publication or distribution of documents representing ballot papers and containing directions intended or likely to mislead or improperly interfere with electors jn the casting of their votes, and the issue of documents containing untrue or incorrect statements likely to mislead. It further proposed that matter published between the date of issue and the return of the writs commenting on any candidate or political party, or the issues being submitted to the, electors, shall be signed by the author, 'giving lijs true name and address. A penalty of £SO is prescribed for offences against this proposal, both in resipect to the authors of letters and the publishers.